Friday, May 9, 2008
From the Lebanese Political Journal
Hezbollah's militant takeover of Beirut and its systematic destruction of the authority of the state and freedom of the press suggests a sophisticated and planned campaign to take power. There is no hiding the violence Hezbollah used to seize Beirut and cut it off from the rest of the country. But as their media campaign is already showing, Hezbollah is employing subtle and sophisticated mechanisms to take over the rest of Lebanon. All news which could be construed as negative behaviors, such as the blatant destruction and corruption of Lebanese institutions, is hidden beneath a Hezbollah-dominated media blackout....
Targeting the Lebanese Christians
Hezbollah seems to be making a concerted effort to placate the Christian population. Ashrafieh was not attacked, and life is relatively normal in the Christian suburbs north of Beirut.
Al Jazeera is claiming that Hezbollah has made a "concession" by opening the airport road. As was told to me by a veteran Lebanese reporter, all of the journalists and news agencies reporting right now have been vetted by Hezbollah. Even if the news is true, it is written to present Hezbollah's actions as gracious.
Michel Aoun just gave an interview claiming that the crisis will be over soon. He even noted that the illegal occupation of Beirut's downtown by opposition militants will end soon. Many who watched his interview are happy to hear this news, despite it coming from a politician who appears to be Hezbollah's Christian spokesman. Once again, this sounds like propaganda that no other Lebanese faction is in a position to challenge...
..Depressing Conclusion
At the moment, it feels a bit like fall 2004 when the Syrians bullied all Lebanese factions into voting for a three year extension of Emile Lahoud's term in office. Rafiq al-Hariri resigned from office, and Lebanese parliamentarians and democratic activists kept their mouths shut while Syria appointed a government made up of its Lebanese cronies. When Lebanese politicians began to stir a bit, Druze parliamentarian Marwan Hamade was targetted for assassination, and barely survived.
According to NOW Lebanon online newspaper, pro-government websites are being attacked. So, we'll see what happens to this blog. The government's telecommunications company has probably been fully overrun by Hezbollah, and all of our calls and internet traffic could be monitored. A source in the pro-Hezbollah Syrian Social Nationalist Party claims that everything is being monitored right now. Good luck getting reliable news from Lebanon.
(Hopefully) more at NOW Lebanon
Analysis of the situation at Michael Totten's
..and Kouchner says France will not passively watch Lebanon go to war
Isn't that what we just did?
UPDATE: Jeha at Pajamas Media writes:
Third, in simple economic terms, Hezbo* is taking over an economy they are ill-equipped to control. When the parasite takes over the host, it kills the host and dies with it. While the thugs were taking over their positions, people were changing their Lebanese liras back to dollars.
Finally, in simple national terms, the defeat of the government would represent a defeat of the UN. With no chance of being implemented, UN resolution 1559 will wither away and Hezbo will keep their cherished weapons. But Resolution 1559 is now part of 1701, which also links the resolution to the armistice agreement with Israel and, more importantly, to Lebanon’s border demarcation. So Nasrallah will get to keep his weapons, and the Israelis will get to “redefine” the border.
As a result, we Lebanese may end up with a resistance without a people, an economy, or a land.
What are we fighting about, then?
* Jeha lives in Beirut and blogs at Jeha’s Nail. He refers to Hezbollah as “Hezbo” because he doesn’t believe in a “Party of God.”
All those who have played a destalizing role in Labanon should not expect anything different than the current crisis and consequence. The western hypocritical medias and pundits share a lions share of the internal hostilities in Lebanon by not treating all plays equally as citizens of this beautiful country.
The geopolitical games and attempts at domination of Lebanon by external forces aline with the US and Israel will continually face the backlash of resurrection and resistance by those who love and die for their own versions of freedom and history.
The definition of FREEDOM is not a term to be completely defined by western ideals and standards, but by those who possess the courage to fight and die for it within their own countries, terrotories and culture!
Their own countries? It's all about America, Israel and the West? What a joke. Hizballah are Nazi Fascists fighting for Iranian and Syrian interests, not those of the majority of Lebanese who would like to live normal lives in freedom and self-determination.
The only responsibility the West holds is for sitting back and doing absolutely nothing of consequence save sending "peace keepers" to sit around on their thumbs and allow these murderers to rearm. Now this. How sad.
The geopolitical games and attempts at domination of Lebanon by external forces aline with the US and Israel will continually face the backlash of resurrection and resistance by those who love and die for their own versions of freedom and history.
The same can be said for the geopolitical games and attempts at domination by the forces aligned with Syria and Iran.
As a military force, Hezbo is a joke. The only weapons these terrorist forces have is intimidation and transparent propaganda. When people choose not to be fooled by scare tactics and propaganda, the game will be over.
Mary, from what I've read, hezbo is not a facade simply using intimidation and propaganda.
hezbo is a dangerous terrorist gang, armed to the teeth by the islamofascist regime in iran.
hezbo is trying to hijack an entire country, Lebanon, to use it as a platform to launch attacks on Israel.
The Lebanese army is too weak, and the UN observers in Lebanon are as effective as referees in a World Wrestling Federation match who are blind to violations by one side - violations that are seen by the screaming audience, ignored by the referees.
The islamofascist regime of iran needs a public setback, a humiliation, to their plans.
Smashing hezbo in Lebanon would be perfect.
Dyke Davis, who do you dream of?
George Clooney or Rosie O'Donnell?
The infuriating thing is that you could tell Jeha or others like him, and I did, last year and even before that, that this was going to be the inevitable consequence if the Lebanese government didn't confront Hezb without delay and by whatever means. But they wouldn't hear it. Their attitude was to avoid civil was at all costs. Here is the cost.
As much as I feel for the Lebanese, I am getting tired of a sob story that never ends from people who refuse to take the necessary actions to end it. Ditto the Palestinians. Who cares if there's a handful of moderates who really want peace; if they're not willing to go to war with the war mongers in their own society to secure it, then there's nothing anybody else can do to give it to them.
And now we will have to rescue Lebanon from itself, from the cowardly sunis and greedy christians who can talk a good game about democracy but only really want it if somebody else will arrange it for them. I think it's time to let them enjoy the fruits of their inaction, as the Gazans are enjoying the fruits of theirs.
sadly, the goverment of lebanon showed the extenct of its dwarfness and sillinese against hizboullah.
the government of lebanon knew what are the consequences of such a move, but they did it anyways.
they did it to drag hizboullah to this situation, and show the world that iranian backed groups are problem in the reigon, and that the world and america has an excuse to hit iran.
its a filthy game that the government plays with well known opprtunist that invaded many countries on similer stratigies.
so I hope arab countries not escalate the situation in lebanon, and leave this dwarf government deal with hizboullah.
these kind of politics should be well understood to all people of this region by now.
although I am a sunni and hate the iranian agenda in the region, but this filthy game in lebanoun is so discusting that I have to support hizboullah, .
good bye
hezbo is a dangerous terrorist gang, armed to the teeth by the islamofascist regime in iran
Hezbo is a dangerous gang compared to other gangs, like the Crips and the Bloods (although I think those guys are better shots)
Compared to genuine military organizations like the US Army, Hezbollah is a joke. They have no airpower, they have no tanks, and they can't shoot straight. Their leader lives in hiding. The only reason they 'win' is because no one really wants to fight them. When people and governments grow weary of tolerating the tactic of using terror gangs to fight over diplomatic and trade issues, Nasrallah and his ilk will be toast.
But until then, little countries like Lebanon and Israel will suffer the most from these terror gang wars.
Whitehouse calls on Iran, Syria to stop support of Hezbollah
"We also urge Iran and Syria to stop their support of Hezbollah and its destabilizing effect on the government of Lebanon,"
I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Iran stop support for its own Foreign Legion?
Iran says trying to end tensions in Lebanon, blames U.S., Israel
Iran said it was working to end the violence in Lebanon and blamed Israel and the United States for the latest tensions, the Tehran press reported Saturday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said that Iran was continuing all possible efforts to help the various political groups in Lebanon find an understanding and end the tensions.
Hosseini said "adventurous intervention" by the U.S. and Israel was the main cause for the escalation in Lebanon.
Iran has denied providing military aid to Lebanon's radical groups and said that the nature of Tehran's support for Hezbollah was solely of a political and spiritual nature.
Gee Officer Krupsky .....That's just short and medium range 'spiritual' support.
Taqyia, Taqyia, Taqyia
anybody paying attention?
Now if the US had taken down the Syrians a peg or two at the height of their support of the "insurrection" in Iraq in 2003/4 they might not have continued to be the pipeline for Iranian political and spiritual support.